Distribution center: Energy drink company chills out in the Cape

July 18, 2013

An energy drink company that has brought chilling out to a whole new level has expanded from the West Coast of the nation to the west coast of Florida.

West Coast Chill has opened a warehouse in Cape Coral to distribute its product, as well as hired more than a dozen people.

And with the way the drink has been flying off the shelves in the more than 150 locations it's sold locally, many more employees are predicted to follow.

Mitchell Joseph, chief of operations at the Cape Coral location and a fifth-generation bottler, landed in Cape Coral in 2003 about the time his father invented something he hoped would revolutionize the beverage industry.

"We came into the picture because the 'Chill Can' my father invented was offered to Pepsi nine years ago," Joseph said. "The problem was we were using a refrigerant, freon, which caused problems with the ozone."

So it was back to the drawing board.

Now, the "Chill Can" uses carbon dioxide reclaimed from the atmosphere and is activated by a renewable carbon vegetable source.

An activation button on the bottom of the can allows the beverage to drop 30 degrees within three minutes; it requires no refrigeration or outside energy.

"We're now ozone friendly, we've won a bunch of awards, and we're the first and only self-chilling can," Joseph said. "We own 29 patents, and no other energy drink will ever have this technology because this helps separate us from the rest."

The Chill Can is not yet available in Florida. Joseph said it is expected to come out in the next 60 days.

Joseph's father said he wanted to put his own product in the can, so he created an energy drink with his own serum.

It took years, but the company boasts its drink is based on natural ingredients and contains no sugar, caffeine or artificial sweeteners. It is fortified with vitamins and herbs and contains only 10 calories in the 8.4 ounce can.

The chill can is 16 ounces.

"We're completely natural. We're sold at Ada's Food Mart and we set ourselves aside from the rest of them," Joseph said. "The other products contain fillers; we're all natural."

West Coast Chill is sold at most of the local gyms, and has blanketed much of the area, Joseph said. Sales have been brisk, even without the chill can.

"We sold three cases in a week and a half and are ready to place another order," said Denise Berry, manager of the Anytime Fitness location on Cape Coral Parkway. "I like it. It's a great product."

And while the product is geared toward younger people, Joseph said he discovered something when 10 cases sold in 10 days at a local convenience store.

"I asked who was buying the product, and the guy told me senior citizens are coming in and getting their B-complex from the can," Joseph said.

Joseph, who recently hired 12 people at the warehouse, said he expects to fill another 30 to 40 jobs in the next year.